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The Best Multi-Tools of 2017

Sidekicks for any scenario.

Gerber Center-Drive (Courtesy Gerber)

Gerber Center-Drive ($119)

The four-inch screwdriver provides tons of torque on stubborn screws and can easily squeeze into tight nooks. At 9.5 ounces and nearly five inches long when closed, the Center-Drive isn’t suited for long expeditions, but after we used it to change out a busted headlight on a decades-old Camry, it earned a permanent spot in our glove box.

MSR Stake Hammer ($30)

Yes, you can use a rock to pound tent stakes into the ground. But this 11-ounce stainless-steel hammer weighs less than some smartphones and is more precise than the caveman approach. Once your shelter is secure, switch to the bottle opener beneath the head. The inch-long steel claw makes easy work of breaking camp.

SOG Baton Q3 ($94)

When closed, the Baton Q3 looks like an oversize pen. Open it up and it turns into an insanely capable adventure companion, with 13 tools and a long handle for maximizing power while wrenching away on a mountain bike or cracking open a can of beans. The thin profile lets it slip easily into the crannies of any daypack.

Leatherman Skeletool RX ($80)

The Skeletool’s deeply serrated blade is the sharpest and most robust here: it’s ideal for cutting through beefy climbing rope and small branches. With a glass-shattering carbide bit combined with eternally useful tools like pliers and wire cutters, the five-ounce RX hits the sweet spot—hardy for emergencies, yet light enough for backcountry missions.

CRKT Snailor ($15)

Sometimes a beer pry is all you need. With its ridged back and sturdy 2.8-inch stainless-steel body, the Snailor feels nice in your hand, while the carabiner holder blends smoothly into the shell. We don’t usually go for cute multitools, but the happy snail won us over, thanks in part to its rugged brushed-metal looks and streamlined design.

Victorinox Swisstool BS ($200)

If the Snailor is for minimalists, the ten-ounce Swisstool BS is made for those apt to pack the kitchen sink. It has 29 tools—more than any other gizmo we looked at—­including a wood saw to chew through kindling, a can opener for campsite eats, and a corkscrew attachment for backcountry date nights, all made from corrosion-resistant black steel.

We tested dozens of boots last season. These 10 stood out for their versatility, durability, and comfort.
La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX ($200)
La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX. (Courtesy of REI)
(Pictured above) The lines separating specialty hiking boots from one another got sharper this year. Looking to set a fastest known time up a Colorado fourteener? There’s a shoe for that. Carrying a 50-pound pack through the Montana wilderness? There’s a shoe for that, too. Of course, there are still good old dependable hiking boots that refuse to be pigeonholed. Take the La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX. We adore this

Layers of every stripe.
Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds (Courtesy Helly Hansen)
Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds ($400)
Gear of the Year
There is a glut of jackets out there, many of them highly refined tools designed for very specific pursuits. Take, for instance, a Gore-Tex shell that thinks it’s a fleece, or an athletic midlayer that you can wear every day for three straight months. Of course, there are also some do-it-all workhorses, which brings us to the Odin 9 Worlds. It shrugged off everything we could throw at it, then laughed in our faces. With classic three-layer construction

Sacks for a comfortable night’s sleep, wherever you lay your head.
Kammok Thylacine. (Kammok)
​Kammok Thylacine ($627)
Gear of the Year
Ten years ago, the biggest difference between sleeping bags was their stuffing: slight variations in synthetic or down insulation. Today things have changed—a lot. Head into a gear shop and the offerings include comforters and oversize down jackets. Zippers run in many directions or are left out altogether. Some bags change shape. Of the 20 we tested in conditions ranging from the beaches of Mexico to early-season snow in Canada’s Coast Range, the Kammok Thylacine proved the most versatile. It

Beasts of burden that shoulder the load for you.
Osprey Aether AG 70 pack. (Osprey)
Osprey Aether AG 70 ($310)
Gear of the Year
It seems like every pack this year is trotting out a creative new spin—from a sliding waist belt to a cinching design that turns an expedition loader into a daypack. Nowhere is that progress more blissfully apparent, and comfortable, than with the Aether AG (and its sister pack, the Ariel AG 65) and its trampoline-like back panel. The suspended mesh dispersed weight over every lumbar contour and made a 40-pound load feel like helium. That panel

Shelters for wherever the trail takes you. (Read more of our in-depth tent reviews.)
MSR Access 2 tent (Courtesy MSR)
MSR Access 2 ($600)
If you haven’t upgraded your hiking shelter in a while, you’re missing out. Weights are tumbling, while living space, durability, and feature sets continue to grow, making for tents that perform year-round. MSR’s Access 2 is at the extreme end of this trend. Until it came along, most options fell into one of two categories: three or four­season. Take a light three-season shelter winter camping and you’ll be cold and miserable. Four-season tents, with their

Work your project from the ground up.
Petzl Alto Crash Pad. (Courtesy of Petzl)
Petzl Alto Crash Pad ($300)
With three layers of dense foam, the Alto has plenty of cushion for big falls. What’s more, the hingeless design means you can sandwich gear between the two halves before zipping it up—handy when schlepping from rock to rock.
Buy Now
Edelrid Boulder Bag 2. (Courtesy of Backcountry)
Edelrid Boulder Bag 2 ($30)
This cavernous container holds all the chalk you could need for weeks of climbing, and the twist closure mitigates spillage.
Buy Now
Ortovox Brenta shorts. (Courtesy

We’re experiencing a renaissance in camp lighting. Renewable power sources are adding versatility, LEDs continue to push efficiency to new levels, and materials are getting lighter, making it easier than ever to walk away from our outlets at home.
Goal Zero Lighthouse 400 (Courtesy of Goal Zero)
Goal Zero Lighthouse 400 ($80)
The trend toward lanterns that integrate other features, like backup power, extends to two beautiful new pieces of green tech. Goal Zero’s Lighthouse 400 (400 lumens) can be juiced with solar panels like the Nomad 7 ($89), by USB, or, in a sunless pinch, with a hand

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